Pharmacy Daily | NSW COVAX pilot ‘misses the mark’

PLANS to activate 22 pharmacies as COVID-19 vaccination (COVAX) sites in regional and rural parts of NSW are "simply not enough", Pharmaceutical Society of Australia NSW Branch President, Chelsea Felkai, believes.

While welcoming the decision to allow some pharmacies to start administering doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to patients age 60 years and older, Felkai expressed concerns that "there is no plan for the expansion of this so-called pilot."

"Whilst this is a welcome outcome for those in some regional NSW communities, it still misses the mark, especially during a time where Sydney is subjected to the longest lockdown we have seen in a year," she said.

"Pharmacists should also be administering all available vaccines in order to reach a greater proportion of the population.

"We have been given every excuse for not being included in the rollout to date; from difficulties in administration to cold chain and supply issues -- this can no longer be tolerated.

"We desperately need a patient-centric approach that puts the community first, but it is apparent that the NSW Government's approach to the rollout does not support this."

Felkai also expressed concerns about the risk of viral transmission in state-run mass vaccination hubs.

"The announcement yesterday of a positive case at one of the vaccination hubs reaffirms the importance of accessing these vaccines within your local community -- whether that be through your local GP or pharmacist," she said.

"Australia has been in a relatively good position, but as these outbreaks have shown, this position is incredibly precarious.

"The Government cannot afford to squander the gift we have been given of being COVID-free these past months.

"We cannot afford to continue stalling the rollout - it will ultimately be at the expense of lives."

Meanwhile, the owner of a pharmacy that has been selected to participate in the pilot told an industry Facebook group that he found out that the store was being activated after it was reported on a local news website.

"It is unlikely that we will be ready for the stated date," he said.

The pharmacist added that the short lead-in time was "stretching an already stretched resource", with many of the activated stores single pharmacist pharmacies without ready access to a second immuniser.